R. K. Singh writes on Nov. 19: The last 30 days have been very important from the point of view of religious women who take baths for the whole month in the Ganges and other rivers. The Hindu month of Kartik (ended today) sees women bathing everyday in the holy river. I used to see many of them, including my mother and other relatives and neighbours in Banares when we were children. In fact taking bath naked was our normal experience, both at home and outside. The full moon last night was the clearest with all minds of functions around. It includes the celebration of the Birthday of Guru Nanak who founded the Sikh religion.

About the author: Dr R K SINGH, Professor & Head,Dept of Humanities & Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad 826004 India